Last week we spent a prolonged weekend with great old friends of ours in Bavaria. It was inspiring in so many ways: food inspiring, home style inspiring, art inspiring. So this is the start of a little series we’re having here on artsy ants, featured artist-friends of ours. To start off, let me introduce you to Nike, currently residing in Schweinfurt, Germany with her husband and two cats. Enjoy the interview and the glimpses into her artwork.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by the simple things in life, like the hot cup of tea I’m having right now, flipping through magazines inspires me at times too. But I’m also inspired by design and architecture.

So tell us about your artwork here in your apartment. I love the painting of the puffin!

Thanks! I made that in 2001. The story isn't that exciting, I went with a friend to an art class. We were basically just told to draw something. So I chose that picture from a magazine and just drew it. it was fun though, it's done with oil pastels.

Cool! This one I find quite intriguing, it’s one of my favourite pieces here. Tell me a bit about that!

Yes, well that is something I did at varsity. I’d been working on a project using print media. It took me a while to actually come up with something interesting. This is one piece of a series of five. What I did was I went through some music we had, so I came across bands that I found interesting. I wanted to stick to a black and white theme. I thought about musicians, how it often happens in life that we remember the tunes and the melodies of the songs but we don’t know who sang them anymore. So that’s how I came up with a theme that runs through all five pieces, you can see it down there: stars come and go, but the music remains.

What’s your favourite art-related thing to do at the moment?

At the moment I’d like to go more into computer and graphics, working with programs like ArtRage or Photoshop.

Any other creative endeavours you’d like to pursue in the future?

Well, I’m keen on learning the piano. Also sewing, I’ve been inspired by a good friend of mine to go more into sewing. I find it fascinating that you can’t only make articles of clothing for yourself but also accesories and interesting things to have around your home as well, cozy and homemade stuff.

Are there any books that have been inspiring you in this regard?

I just bought „Kirstie's Homemade Home“ by Kirstie Allsopp. But I really like „Sewing Green“ by Betz White. I really like the idea of re-purposing everything. I’m sick of always buying new stuff, so I’m fascinated with recycling old clothes for example into something new.

Thanks for the interview Nike and thank you for being an ever inspiring friend and artist!